title: Allele-specific silencing of mutant Myh6 transcripts in mice suppresses hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Dominant mutations in sarcomere proteins such as the myosin heavy chains (MHC) are the leading genetic causes of human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy. We found that expression of the HCM-causing cardiac MHC gene (Myh6) R403Q mutation in mice can be selectively silenced by an RNA interference (RNAi) cassette delivered by an adeno-associated virus vector. RNAi-transduced MHC(403/+) mice developed neither hypertrophy nor myocardial fibrosis, the pathologic manifestations of HCM, for at least 6 months. Because inhibition of HCM was achieved by only a 25% reduction in the levels of the mutant transcripts, we suggest that the variable clinical phenotype in HCM patients reflects allele-specific expression and that partial silencing of mutant transcripts may have therapeutic benefit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wakimoto
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Seidman
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Seidman
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000229:Dependovirus; D005355:Fibrosis; D020868:Gene Silencing; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: C584019:Myh6 protein, mouse; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains